A stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system

Abstract

The present application discloses a stacked multi-channel array multimode coupling mirror system, which relates to the field of optical information transmission. The system comprises: a light source, a first array lens, a 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror, a second array lens, a third array lens, a first array multimode optical fiber and a second array multimode optical fiber; the first array lens is used to collimate the light output by the light source to obtain a collimated light beam; the collimated light beam is divided into a reflected light beam and a transmitted light beam after passing through the first working surface of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror; the reflected light beam is focused by the second array lens and coupled into the first array multimode optical fiber; the transmitted light beam is transmitted to the second working surface in the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror, and after being reflected by the second working surface, it is focused by the third array lens and coupled into the second array multimode optical fiber. The present application can realize 2 times information transmission within a certain size difference range, thereby increasing the amount of information transmission.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of optical information transmission, and in particular to a stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system. Background Art

[0002] Generally, the array lens adopts the injection molding structure, usually a one-dimensional 4*4, 8*8, 12*12 structure. For the 4*4 structure, 4 groups are the transmitting end (TX) and the other 4 groups are the signal receiving end (RX). Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, due to the limitation of the injection molding coupling mirror mold processing technology, a single lens can only realize a one-dimensional multi-array coupling mirror. With the increase of optical information, it is very difficult to increase the amount of information transmission under the existing size limitations. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present application is to provide a stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system, which can improve the amount of information transmission within a certain size difference range.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides the following solutions:

[0005] The present application provides a stacked multi-channel array multimode coupling mirror system, comprising: a light source, a first array lens, a 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror, a second array lens, a third array lens, a first array multimode optical fiber, and a second array multimode optical fiber;

[0006] The first array lens is located on the output light path of the light source; the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror is located on the output light path of the first array lens; the second array lens and the third array lens are both arranged on the output light path of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror; the first array multimode optical fiber is arranged on the output light path of the second array lens; the second array multimode optical fiber is arranged on the output light path of the third array lens;

[0007] The first array lens is used to collimate the light output by the light source to obtain a collimated light beam; the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror includes a first working surface and a second working surface, and the first working surface is parallel to the second working surface; the collimated light beam is divided into a reflected light beam and a transmitted light beam after passing through the first working surface of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror; the reflected light beam is focused by the second array lens and coupled into the first array multimode optical fiber; the transmitted light beam is transmitted in the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror to the second working surface, and after being reflected by the second working surface, it is focused by the third array lens and coupled into the second array multimode optical fiber.

[0008] Optionally, the light source is an array Vcsel multi-mode light source.

[0009] Optionally, the first array lens, the second array lens and the third array lens are processed into an integrated structure by injection molding; and the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror is bonded to the injection-molded LENS inclined surface.

[0010] Optionally, the refractive index between the first working surface of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror and the second array lens and the third array lens is 1.

[0011] Optionally, an injection molding draft angle between the first working surface of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror and the second array lens and the third array lens is 2°.

[0012] Optionally, the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror is a plane reflecting mirror.

[0013] Optionally, the first working surface of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror is divided into a semi-transparent and semi-reflective area, a fully transparent area and other areas; the semi-transparent and semi-reflective area divides the collimated light beam into a reflected light beam and a transmitted light beam; the fully transparent area transmits the light reflected from the second working surface to the third array lens.

[0014] Optionally, the second working surface of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror is divided into a blackened area and a fully reflective area; the fully reflective area reflects the transmitted light beam to the third array lens; and the blackened area avoids oscillating reflection of stray light.

[0015] Optionally, the surface of the first array lens is a plano-convex aspheric surface, with the convex surface facing the light source.

[0016] Optionally, the surface of the second array lens is a plano-convex aspheric surface, and the convex surface faces the first array multimode optical fiber. According to the specific embodiments provided in this application, this application discloses the following technical effects:

[0017] The present application provides a stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system, which uses a 45° splitting and deflecting mirror attachment method to transmit and reflect a collimated light beam, and can focus the light beam into two array multi-mode optical fibers respectively. Within a certain size difference range, it can achieve 2 times information transmission, thereby increasing the amount of information transmission. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0019] Figure 1 It is a bottom schematic diagram of a conventional injection-molded coupling mirror;

[0020] Figure 2 It is a top schematic diagram of a conventional injection-molded coupling mirror;

[0021] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of the stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system provided in this application;

[0022] Figure 4 A top schematic diagram of a stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system provided in the present application;

[0023] Figure 5 A bottom schematic diagram of a stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system provided in the present application;

[0024] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the prism scheme of the stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror;

[0025] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of bonding a 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror to an injection-molded LENS;

[0026] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the optical path of the 45° beam splitting deflection mirror and the injection-molded LENS assembly;

[0027] Fig. 9 This is a simulation diagram of a stacked multi-channel coupling mirror system;

[0028] Fig.10 This is a summary diagram of flat area data;

[0029] Fig.11 Schematic diagram of the zone coating of a 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror.

[0030] Explanation of symbols: 1-light source, 2-first array lens, 3-45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror, 4-second array lens, 5-third array lens, 6-first array multimode optical fiber, 7-second array multimode optical fiber, 8-semi-transparent and semi-reflective area, 9-fully transparent area, 10-other areas, 11-blackened area, 12-fully reflective area, 13-air, S1-first working surface, S2-second working surface, S3-45° mounting surface, S4-overflow groove surface, S5-injection molding demolding surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0032] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the present application is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0033] like Figure 3 As shown, the stacked multi-channel array multimode coupling mirror system provided in the present application includes: a light source 1, a first array lens 2, a 45° splitting and deflecting mirror 3, a second array lens 4, a third array lens 5, a first array multimode optical fiber 6 and a second array multimode optical fiber 7.

[0034] The first array lens 2 is located on the output light path of the light source 1. The 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3 is located on the output light path of the first array lens 2. The second array lens 4 and the third array lens 5 are both arranged on the output light path of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3. The first array multimode optical fiber 6 is arranged on the output light path of the second array lens 4. The second array multimode optical fiber 7 is arranged on the output light path of the third array lens 5.

[0035] The first array lens 2 is used to collimate the light output by the light source 1 to obtain a collimated light beam. The 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3 includes a first working surface S1 and a second working surface S2, and the first working surface S1 is parallel to the second working surface S2. The first working surface S1 and the second working surface S2 have a certain height difference, which is the position of the multimode optical fiber corresponding to the first working surface S1 and the second working surface S2 after the light beam is refracted. The height difference needs to consider the structural design interference problem. The collimated light beam is divided into a reflected light beam and a transmitted light beam after passing through the first working surface S1 of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3. Among them, the first working surface S1 of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3 divides the collimated light beam into a reflected light beam and a transmitted light beam according to a certain splitting ratio.

[0036] The reflected light beam is focused by the second array lens 4 and coupled into the first array multimode optical fiber 6 to propagate optical information. The transmitted light beam is transmitted to the second working surface S2 in the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3, and after being reflected by the second working surface S2, it is focused by the third array lens 5 and coupled into the second array multimode optical fiber 7 to propagate optical information.

[0037] In each channel of the stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system provided in the present application, the beam splitting of the first working surface S1 and the second working surface S2 of the 45° splitting and deflecting mirror 3 can be designed according to a specific ratio; the beam splitting ratios between the array channels can be consistent or different, making the application forms of the lens diverse.

[0038] In this application, the reflected light path and the transmitted light path share the first array lens 2, but the optical path and path of the reflected light path are different from those of the transmitted light path. When optimizing the system, multiple structures in the Lighttools software are used for synchronous optimization to ensure that the coupling efficiency of the two paths in the same group is greater than 80%. Among them, considering that the transmittance of the injection molding material is 87.8%, the splitting ratio of the reflected light beam and the transmitted light beam is 1:1, and the respective flat area tolerances meet the requirements of ±10 micron alignment tolerance and ±20μm defocus tolerance.

[0039] As a specific implementation, the surface of the first array lens 2 is a plano-convex aspheric surface, with the convex surface facing the light source 1, mainly to achieve the collimation of the divergent Gaussian beam. The surface of the second array lens 4 is a plano-convex aspheric surface, with the convex surface facing the first array multimode optical fiber 6. The surface of the third array lens 5 is a plano-convex aspheric surface, with the convex surface facing the second array multimode optical fiber 7.

[0040] In the present application, the light source 1 is an array Vcsel multimode light source. The array Vcsel multimode light source is an 850nm Vscel light source with a light output aperture of 10 μm and a half-power angle of 15°.

[0041] The first array lens 2, the second array lens 4 and the third array lens 5 are processed into an integrated structure by injection molding. The 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror is bonded to the injection molding LENS inclined surface. The present application adopts injection molding integrated LENS, which avoids the shortcomings of photolithography reflow, single chip cutting and system splicing process, molding process, etc., ensures product coupling efficiency and reduces costs.

[0042] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, in the present application, the relevant optical surfaces (the first array lens 2, the second array lens 4, the third array lens 5), the structural surface (the assembly surface of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3) and the matching structural support parts (optical fiber connection surface) are all one-piece structures, and the injection molding material is UITEM_1010.

[0043] In the present application, the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3 can be a prism or a plane reflector of a specific thickness. The specific shape design needs to take into account the limitations of the injection molding LENS structure design. Figure 6 As shown, in this structure, due to the existence of the draft angle of the injection-molded LENS, the contact surface between the 45° beam splitting and deflecting prism and the injection-molded LENS is very small, and the process is difficult. In addition, if the bonding part of the first working surface S1 is to achieve beam splitting, the injection-molded LEMS and the first working surface S1 of the prism both need a beam splitting film, which is costly. In view of the problems existing in this solution, the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3 of this application is preferably a plane reflector of a certain thickness, Figure 3 as shown in .

[0044] Furthermore, if Figure 7 As shown, in the present application, the first working surface S1 of the 45° beam splitting deflection mirror 3 is coated with a beam splitting film. In the design of the injection-molded LENS structure, the 45° mounting surface S3 outside the optical path is retained, and a bonding glue coating surface and an overflow glue groove surface S4 are added to the outside of the first working surface S1, so that the first working surface S1 is not affected by the injection molding draft angle, and the precise installation of the 45° reflective surface can be ensured. In addition, the overflow glue groove surface S4 can ensure that the bonding glue does not overflow in the effective area of ​​the optical path.

[0045] like Figure 8 As shown, in this application, in order to reduce the coating cost, in the integrated design of injection molding LENS, the refractive index between the first working surface S1 of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3 and the second array lens 4 and the third array lens 5 is 1, that is, air 13. Figure 6 The solution reduces the process of plating the beam splitter film on the 45° inclined surface of the injection-molded LENS and reduces the cost.

[0046] In addition, due to the existence of the injection molding LENS draft angle, when the collimated light beam passes through the injection molding draft surface S5, the symmetry of the light beam will be broken up and the interface reflection loss will increase. In system optimization, actual modeling is required for optimization.

[0047] like Fig. 9 As shown, this application strictly refers to Figure 3 The specific parameters shown in the figure are that the injection molding draft angle between the first working surface S1 of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3 and the second array lens 4 and the third array lens 5 is 2°. Fig.10 As shown, the coupling efficiency of the reflected light path is greater than 45% (total energy 50%), and the coupling efficiency of the transmitted light path is greater than 45% (total energy 50%).

[0048] In the present application, in order to prevent the transmitted light beam from being repeatedly reflected on the first working surface S1 and the second working surface S2 of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3, forming stray light and reducing the system coupling efficiency, specific area coating is required on the first working surface S1 and the second working surface S2. The first working surface S1 of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3 is coated with a beam splitting film, and the beam splitting ratio of the beam splitting film can be selected in combination with the actual application. The second working surface S2 of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3 is coated with a reflective film, or the law of total reflection is used in the design to ensure the reflection of the second working surface S2.

[0049] As a specific implementation method, Fig.11As shown, the first working surface S1 of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3 is divided into a semi-transparent and semi-reflective area 8, a fully-transmissive area 9 and other areas 10; the semi-transparent and semi-reflective area 8 divides the collimated light beam into a reflected light beam and a transmitted light beam. The fully-transmissive area 9 transmits the light reflected by the second working surface S2 to the third array lens 5. The second working surface S2 of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3 is divided into a blackened area 11 and a fully-reflective area 12. The fully-reflective area 12 reflects the transmitted light beam to the third array lens 5. The blackened area 11 avoids the oscillating reflection of stray light.

[0050] In an exemplary embodiment of the present application, the relevant parameters of each component are as follows:

[0051] The distance between the first array lens 2 and the Vcsel light source is 0.1 mm to 0.15 mm, and the aperture range is 0.16 mm to 0.2 mm.

[0052] The output spot diameter of the first array lens 2 is in the range of 0.16 mm to 0.2 mm, the vector height is less than 30 μm, the thickness is in the range of 0.15 mm to 0.3 mm, and the output spot half-power angle is less than 0.2°.

[0053] The alignment accuracy between the light source 1 and the first array lens 2 is less than 5 μm.

[0054] The material of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3 can be selected from BK7 / K9 / D263T and the like.

[0055] The specific working areas of the first working surface S1 and the second working surface S2 of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3 are both realized by photolithography and coating processes.

[0056] The distance between the second array lens 4 and the first array multimode optical fiber 6 is 0.2 mm to 0.7 mm, the aperture range is 0.1 mm to 0.6 mm, and the injection molding material is ULTEM_1010. The second array lens 4 corresponds to receiving the light beam reflected by the first working surface S1 in the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3. The center of the second array lens 4 is coaxial with the reflected light beam of the first working surface S1 and the first array multimode optical fiber 6.

[0057] The center distance between the second array lens 4 and the third array lens 5 is greater than the center distance of the spatial structure size of the corresponding optical fiber, so as to avoid interference in the structural design.

[0058] The center distance between the second array lens 4 and the third array lens 5 is equal to the center distance between the center of the first working surface S1 and the center of the second working surface S2 in the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3 .

[0059] The center distance tolerance between the second array lens 4 and the third array lens 5 is less than 2 μm.

[0060] The working distances of the second array lens 4 and the third array lens 5 may be consistent or inconsistent.

[0061] The surface parameters of the second array lens 4 and the third array lens 5 may be consistent or inconsistent.

[0062] The core diameter of the first array multimode optical fiber 6 is 50 microns, the numerical aperture is 0.2, the total number of stacked arrays is 2*8 (16 groups in total), and the core spacing between arrays is 0.25 mm.

[0063] The inclination angle of the optical fiber end face of the first array multimode optical fiber 6 can be selected as 0°, 8° or other specifications, which is selected in combination with actual applications.

[0064] As a specific application scenario, the stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system provided in the present application can be used to send and receive information, and can realize the propagation of high-speed multi-mode stacked multi-channel array optical information.

[0065] This application uses a 45-degree folding reflective lens with a certain thickness, which improves the defect of traditional injection-molded multi-mode coupling mirrors that can only be one-dimensional arrays, realizes the requirement of 1-input and 2-output, and realizes the stacked multi-channel array high-speed multi-mode Rx / Tx transceiver integrated coupling mirror design, and realizes the requirement of increasing the transmission information by 1 times under conditions similar to traditional injection-molded LENS, thereby achieving the purpose of small-size and high-information transmission.

[0066] In addition, the crosstalk and signal loss between signals during multi-mode information transmission will affect the quality of optical communication and the final information decoding. Conventional one-dimensional array coupling mirrors have no reference signal for information calculation and correction, while in each channel of the stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system provided by the present application, the first working surface S1 and the second working surface S2 of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3 can serve as each other's reference beams to perform optical information calculations (such as optical information modulation and demodulation), increasing the diversified processing of system information transmission and the ability to resist loss and crosstalk. That is, the present application can introduce a reference signal, thereby reducing the problems of low quality of optical communication and difficulty in final information decoding caused by crosstalk and signal loss between signals during multi-mode information transmission.

[0067] In the prior art, the energy between channels of the one-dimensional array lens is consistent and specific energy distribution cannot be performed. However, the present application utilizes the beam splitting film on the first working surface S1 of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror 3 to achieve information distribution in a specific ratio.

[0068] In the existing molding process, the design of the vector height and R are limited by the volume of the molded glass. The design process needs to be constantly modified in combination with its characteristics, and the design cannot reach the optimal one. The photolithography reflow cannot etch aspheric surfaces, the vector height is small, and the surface consistency is poor, so the design cannot reach the optimal one. The processing cycle of a single-turned and ground glass lens is long, the consistency is poor, and the process is complex and the cost is high when the single lenses are spliced ​​into an array. The surface accuracy of the injection molding process is less than 0.5μm, and the process has low design requirements. The design can be optimized, which further ensures that the coupling efficiency of the coupling mirror is improved, and the injection-molded integrated LENS is simpler in structure and lower in cost than the single-turned and spliced ​​process. Therefore, the present application adopts an integrated injection molding process to avoid the splicing of array lenses in processes such as molding / single-point turning / photolithography reflow / nanoimprinting, reduce the structural complexity of the stacked array lens product, and reduce product costs.

[0069] The technical features of the above embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0070] This article uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and core ideas of this application. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the ideas of this application, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as limiting this application.

Claims

1. A stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system, characterized in that: The stacked multi-channel array multimode coupling mirror system comprises: a light source, a first array lens, a 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror, a second array lens, a third array lens, a first array multimode optical fiber and a second array multimode optical fiber; The first array lens is located on the output light path of the light source; the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror is located on the output light path of the first array lens; the second array lens and the third array lens are both arranged on the output light path of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror; the first array multimode optical fiber is arranged on the output light path of the second array lens; the second array multimode optical fiber is arranged on the output light path of the third array lens; The first array lens is used to collimate the light output by the light source to obtain a collimated light beam; the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror includes a first working surface and a second working surface, and the first working surface is parallel to the second working surface; the collimated light beam is divided into a reflected light beam and a transmitted light beam after passing through the first working surface of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror; the reflected light beam is focused by the second array lens and coupled into the first array multimode optical fiber; the transmitted light beam is transmitted in the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror to the second working surface, and after being reflected by the second working surface, it is focused by the third array lens and coupled into the second array multimode optical fiber; The first array lens, the second array lens and the third array lens are processed into an integrated structure by injection molding process; the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror is bonded to the injection-molded LENS inclined surface; in the design of the injection-molded LENS structure, the 45° mounting surface outside the optical path is retained, and a bonding glue coating surface and a glue overflow groove surface are added to the outer side of the first working surface.

2. The stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light source is an array Vcsel multi-mode light source.

3. The stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The refractive index between the first working surface of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror and the second array lens and the third array lens is 1.

4. The stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The injection molding draft angle between the first working surface of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror and the second array lens and the third array lens is 2°.

5. The stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror is a plane reflecting mirror.

6. The stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first working surface of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror is divided into a semi-transparent and semi-reflective area, a fully-transmissive area and other areas; the semi-transparent and semi-reflective area divides the collimated light beam into a reflected light beam and a transmitted light beam; the fully-transmissive area transmits the light reflected from the second working surface to the third array lens.

7. The stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second working surface of the 45° beam splitting and deflecting mirror is divided into a blackened area and a fully reflective area; the fully reflective area reflects the transmitted light beam to the third array lens; and the blackened area avoids oscillating reflection of stray light.

8. The stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The surface of the first array lens is a plano-convex aspheric surface, with the convex surface facing the light source.

9. The stacked multi-channel array multi-mode coupling mirror system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The surface of the second array lens is a plano-convex aspheric surface, and the convex surface faces the first array multimode optical fiber.

Images